Thursday, January 29, 2015

Fashion Debate: Are Tattoos Fashionable?

There is no debate that times have changed. In the past, tattoos and fashion did not ever mix. A models' career would have been highly jeopardized if they were "inked" anywhere on their body. Models were meant to be blank canvases with beautiful silhouettes, and their purpose was simply to promote the brand in the image the brand chose. They're "inner being" was not to be exposed, and tattoos would have always been removed.

However, with charismatic models like Cara Delevigne coming to the forefront of fashion, tattoos have sort of become a "thing". Her "Made in England" and lion imprint, are just a few of her tattoos that have become her trademark symbol. This is a huge shift in the fashion worlds of brands, and labels, merging their identities onto the trademarks of celebrity models. Models are now given opportunities to promote fashion houses as themselves rather than beautiful people that do not exist.

Pro's and Cons of Tattoo Trend:

Pro's:

The attempt to achieve self identity and discovery through finding a symbol, saying, or picture to represent what is inside of you, is in many ways a form of self discovery. It is a positive attempt to display a quality within you that you identify with so deeply that you want it etched in your blood.

Tattoos as an art form, allow you to embrace something within you and place it on the surface as a reminder of what you cannot see.

Cons:

Tattoos in many ways are risky. The reason being, people are not stagnant. Who you are today, is very different than who you will be in 5, 10, 20, years. With time and experiences, you evolve, and change. Yes, there are many aspects to people that are coded so deep in their DNA, that a lifetime would not change it. However, knowing what those elements are, usually takes a lifetime to figure out. Quotations, pictures, symbols, that may speak to you now, may annoy you later on.

Conclusion:

Tattoos and fashion are similar in artistic form but different in the aspects of change. The beauty of fashion is its ability to evolve through self expression. Your style changes with your life, and certain aspects will always remain, but in the end fashion lives in its ability to change. Tattoos lack this character of "flexibility" and could end up hindering your desire to evolve and grow.